THE WEDGEFIELD DRAINAGE PROJECT, NEWLY NAMED - CANAL PROJECT: OUR BOARD APPEARS TO WANT TO TRY AND COVER UP THEIR POOR PLANNING, LACK OF PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT, AND QUICK FIX SOLUTIONS, WITH SOD. ARE WE LEFT WITH GOOD MONEY BEING SPENT FOR ONE MISERABLE MISTAKE AFTER ANOTHER? HAS THE BOARD LEFT US WITH A DANGEROUS SITUATION? YOU NEED TO FIND OUT BECAUSE THEY ARE ALREADY PLANNING ANOTHER DRAINAGE/BULK HEAD/POND PROJECT.

The Wedgefield Examiner will move to articles regarding the WPA Annual Meeting in the next few days.  The Wedgefield Drainage Project is too critical to leave sitting on the side line, while your board moves forward in attempting to cover all of their mistakes on this project, with sod.  In the mean time, before they resolve the issues of this project, they had another similar project on the table, in October - the drainage, bulk head project on the pond near Wedgefield Rd, outside our main gate.

You'll have to go back and read the transcription of the Grounds Report from the October WPA board meeting.  Read your board's words.  I won't reprint, or repeat it all.  Yesterday, I took a ride to the site of the Wedgefield Drainage Project and took pictures.  The pictures reveal their lies, and this miserable mess, that we are told is ready for sod.  Review the pictures and see if you believe that we should throw money to sod and cover up, before we resolve the issues.  If we do cover it with sod, the problems won't stay hidden.  What would it take to fix this miserable mess?  Some real professionals, not their home made remedies, and out right lies.

THE FIRST UNTRUTHFUL STATEMENT:  DeMarchi says, "The erosion has stopped."  It hasn't.

 

De Marchi says that he has stopped it.  He says, "The erosion was behind the wing wall, and I PUT TWO LOADS OF CONCRETE in there."  We don't know who told him that he could dump concrete in there,  Was it his own brain storm?  When did the board or anyone else give him approval to alter the project, or expend the funds?  It isn't in the minutes, and I haven't heard discussion of it on tape.  The erosion has not stopped.  Here is a picture verifying the cement.

 

 

Someone, we don't know who has dumped large rocks in there.  It hasn't stopped the erosion.  If you look down some of these areas, they are deeper and wider than the picture can show.  One if not more than that, go down to a depth of at least 6 feet.  There is still wash out.  This is dangerous, an accident waiting to happen.  Your board has said this is a place where you could be near the water, even fish. With the current conditions, and sod won't fix it, some unsuspecting person could break a leg.  A small child could fall in and be seriously injured.

 

 

 

Board member Walton said, "The problem is that it is starting to grow vegetation where it filled in.  If we don't get that water vegetation out o there, we can no longer dredge up to there.  Won't let you dredge where water vegetation is growing."  Walton said there was vegetation there (on top of the silt pile they want to remove.)  Note, the picture at the top of the page.  The vegetation has been removed, possibly illegally breaking environmental regulations.  What did they do with the vegetation roots included?  They dumped it on the site.

 

 

 

 

Shouldn't we expect that our board would follow the guidelines of the reserve study that we all paid for?  The study repeatedly advises the board to seek engineering services, hire a professional firm to manage the bid process, and to over see the contract.  The board failed to do that on this project.  We don't even know who advised the board to put the wing wall in.  It was added after DeMarchi told us the project was completed and that the necessary reports had been sent to the army core of engineers.  There was only one bid - again, on the wing wall fix - not!   Now we are told by board member McMillin that he will save us money, and use volunteers to sod and cover - temporary - this mess.  How much have we saved on this poorly administrated project, with these self proclaimed experts?  Nothing!  As recent as the October meeting, the board voted to spend another $2,500 to sod this,   Why?  The May 2014 WPA minutes state, DeMarchi reported that the additional wing wall and grading are complete on the Wedgefield Drainage project.  Seeding was completed, but may require additional seeding, but the association lawn crew should start to mow by the end of May." 

 

WILL YOU WRITE ENVIROMENTAL AUTHORITES AND PUT A STOP TO THIS?

 

WILL YOU VISIT THE SITE AND TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AND CONFIRM FOR YOURSELF THAT THIS BOARD DOES NOT HAVE THE EXPERTISE TO MANAGE THESE PROJECTS, AND INSIST THAT THEY BRING PROFESSIONALS IN TO DETERMINE HOW TO SAFELY AND LEGALLY BRING THIS PROJECT TO A CLOSE?  WILL YOU INSIST THAT THEY BRING PROFESSIONALS INTO ENGINEER, SEND OUT REAL REQUESTS FOR PROPOSALS, SECURE REAL COMPETITIVE BIDS, AND OVERSEE THE CONTRACTS - PERFORMANCE BASED CONTRACTS?

 

 

The one recent project that we had that met all of those requirements, was roads.  Do you realize that they paid a professional firm to request bids, verify bidders qualifications, and follow the project for $2,500?  Your board just approved $2,500 to try and cover the mistakes on this project.